The Strings That Were Connected
by ofmermaidsandmarauders
Summary: "i dont like being sold in an arranged marriage to a khal but if you keep calling me the moon of your life i might just be your khaleesi" daenerys and drogo game of thrones au for May's Jily Challenge


_"get your damn hands off of me_!" she wrenches her hands away from the short man whose name she has deciphered as peter from her translator remus, though her wrists are still shackled tied tightly. she can't know how much time has passed since vernon, as the new "rightful" heir to their lands, collected his earnings from her sale. what she does know is that her dress is tarnished, full of sand and sweat, and her hair is matted down to her hair.

"let me free from these bindings, immediately. i demand it. i am your queen now, am i not?" a thick eyebrow arches on her forehead as she narrows her eyes at the stubby man. remus translates this to him, though she has a feeling that it is only because remus speaks more sympathetically to the blond that he agrees to do so. the two of them have had opportunities to wash up where she has not. "i refuse to go any further until i have taken the chance to change and clean up. i will not meet my future husband until then." she stands tall, her shoulders back, head held high. if there is one thing lily of house evans, the first of her name will not be, it is disrespected. she is a proud, classy woman, and she will be treated like one.

"the two agree and give herthe space at the nearest opportunity. it is the first time she cries over her new life and the one she has left behind.

* * *

"my name is james, the great khal of the dothraki, of the great grass sea." his harsh language makes him seem more brutish, despite his lanky body. he is tall, incredibly tall, and his arms and chest appear strong and sinewed. his dark hair is a rumpled mess on the top of his head, and he appears to be wearing eyeglasses, of which she has only heard about in passing, as most people who own them come from positions of high power. it dawns on her suddenly that she is now one of those people, alongside her new husband. the word causes a bitter taste to appear in her mouth.

"hello, my name is lily of the house evans, first of my name." she says the words with little emotion, as she is used to representing herself of this way.

"lily of the house evans and khaleesi of the great grass sea." he corrects her, and for some reason this irritates her more than she thought it would. not only is he correcting her, but he is laying claim while he does so

"yes, that." she mutters beneath her breath before glancing around their large hut. it is adorned with various wall hangings, all made from canvas and painted with beautiful colorings. some depict james on a horse, others are of landscapes. it is shaped to be one large room, though there is enough space for a bed, a wash area, as well as rugs and tables scattered throughout. "where will I sleep?" she asks, glancing to remus.

his eyebrows shoot up in amusement and she thinks she knows the answer before he can even translate it. she immediately regrets her question as she realizes she will have to share a bed with this man. not only that, but remus will be banished to an outside tent while she and this man are forced together, alone with no way to communicate.

the night is spent mostly in silence, though he has managed to learn a few english words, and she has picked up on some of his language as well. in fact, he's made her laugh a few times, and that has surprised her more than anything. in the comfort of his own dwelling, with no one else around, he seems much less commanding. he still demands respect and practically breathes power, but she is also able to see a softer side of him. he gives her privacy to change without his watchful eyes and climbs into bed without touching her other than a caress of the cheek and a soft whisper of good night.

* * *

their wedding is a large affair, filled with alcohol and large plates and bowls of food on wooden tables. the two sit atop two stallions as they wave to the people of their land. she tentatively takes a look over at her husband who is shirtless, his hair as messy as it was the day they met. the way he commands his people screams respect and power, and something about his demeanor brings a small smile to her lips. for the first time since her arrival, she feels some of the tension in her shoulders relax.

later that evening, the two are laying back in their bed. he is humming quietly while ruffling his hair. "happy?" he questions, and for a moment she thinks she has mistaken him.

"excuse me?" she whispers, afraid of disturbing him if she had truly been hearing things. "happy?" he asks again, this time pointing a single finger at her.

"oh. um…" the redhead trails off, trying to determine how to answer the question. was she happy? the obvious answer was no, wasn't it? but something about his gentle questioning and the way he had treated her with (mostly) respect since her arrival was making her question her answer. she was certainly more content than if she were back with vernon and petunia. and she _was_ given free time, even if it was constantly supervised by remus. (she wasn't unconvinced that james had her watched to ensure she didn't run away). this is not how she intended her wedding night to be spent; in bed with a near-complete stranger, wondering if she will ever have her freedom again.

"yes. happy." she finally responds, turning her back to him as the meaning of the word runs through her head for the rest of the night.

* * *

as times passes, lily starts to become more comfortable in her new role. she uses her handmaidens to learn the language and begins to dress as a khaleesi should. the first time james sees her in the tan suede dress, cropped at her knees, he stops short upon turning around. the light flush that covers her cheeks is a welcome surprise as she greets him in dothraki. his eyes widen comically behind his glasses and she cannot contain the smirk that wants to emerge for much longer.

the phrase he speaks in his language is one she's never heard before, and she wonders what he is saying to her. "beautiful." he murmurs, and she understands that more than anything.

* * *

on their first ride through a conquested village, lily hears a whimper coming from behind her. she has taken the back, trailing behind his small army. she halts her stallion and turns to see a small child huddled behind the bushes, crying tearfully. lily slides off of her horse and crouches down beside the small girl. she looks terrified, and lily approaches with a hand held out. she's not entirely sure what her plan is here, but all she knows is that when she sees the little girl, she has to do something to help.

"are you alright?" her voice is soft as she kneels down beside the child who's bangs are matted against her forehead and it looks as though she has missed a meal or four. "no." the girl whimpers, clutching the doll in her hands even tighter. "my mama…" her voice grows more hoarse as she points behind her and lily sees a body laying in the bed, the body grey and cold. "she was sick.." the child explains.

"it's okay. i'm lily. i'll take care of you. come ride with me. we'll get you food. or.." she trails off, wondering if the child has any other family. "where is your papa?" she asks, and the girls shrugs. "i don't have a papa." lily's heart breaks and she scoops the girl up in her arms, turning to lift her onto the white stallion before she climbs on behind her. she looks up for the first time, realizing that only james, his best mate sirius, and her translator remus are left to watch; the rest have all gone on ahead. the scorching gaze that james gives her makes her stomach flip and her cheeks burn as she smiles politely before leading the way, her head held high as the small girl leans back against her comfortably.

* * *

from that moment on, the girl spends most of her time with lily. in fact, the girl rarely ever leaves her side except to sleep, in which she shares a tent with sirius who is the only other person that she seems comfortable with. the tall male has a tendency to make her laugh and lily approves of his supervision of her at night. she has overheard remus telling the girl that james and lily "need private time" at night as they are married. lily knows james is enforcing this, and at first it frustrated her to no end that he dared to let willow feel so abandoned until she promised lily that she liked spending time with sirius.

it had taken almost a week for lily to forgive james for that. she wouldn't utter a word to him, and he looked increasingly upset by her silence.

 _"moon of my life."_ he uttered the commonplace phrase to get her attention. "what?!" she demanded, her arms crossed over her chest. they had begun to cross the language barrier, though she was still unsure of what he was calling her. she made a note to ask remus what it meant. "i am sorry. i don't know what for but i am sorry." he assured her, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around her entire body. it is the first time he has truly embraced her since the day of their wedding, and she lets her body relax into him.

"you know, willow would probably like another friend. someone to teach her to speak dothraki. she thinks remus is a little too boring for her tastes." james looks slightly confused at the suggestion and for a moment she thinks he can't understand everything she has just said. "you think she'd like me?" he asks, cheeks tinging pink and she quickly nods.

"i think she'd be silly not to." lily whispers, leaving a kiss on his cheek.

* * *

it takes lily time to remember to ask remus about the phrase, and when she does, she cannot remember the exact pronunciation of the words.

"james always calls me this phrase, it's… ugh. i don't know how to say it. i just know the word moon and of. moon of something." she looks up as remus' eyebrows shoot up and he goes off to grab a roll of parchment from the stacks in the corner of her hut. "is this it?" he asks, gesturing to the phrase written in james' scrawl. at her nod, remus' smile suddenly transforms into a smirk. "why, lily, i'd say james considers you to be the moon of his life."

at first she is utterly confused. she assumes he is joking but then she pieces it together. the phrase literally means moon of my life. he is not calling her a name out of jest, but rather, out of affection. the thought causes her heart to pound and she glances out of the small window in his hut to see james and sirius tossing willow back and forth in the tall grass between two large trees. she stands and immediately goes outside, watching them for another moment before james spots her.

his hand lifts to ruffle his hair before he shoots her a wide grin and another wave of emotion hits her when he waves. "moon of my life." she whispers to herself as she crosses her arms. _my sun and stars._ the phrase comes to mind almost immediately in response and she doesn't even attempt to push it away.

* * *

more time passes, and so much happens, yet so little seems to change. james and Sirius charge off to lead their conquests, taking new land to expand their own country, building an army using persuasion and peaceful means. despite james' original brutish nature, lily realizes he is more kind and thoughtful than she could have ever imagined.

they have also begun to talk more. they switch between English and dothraki, a weird conversational mix, piecing together words and phrases when one cannot understand the other.

"thank you." she says one night as he passes her another glass of wine and their fingers brush. they rarely touch, but when they do, lily feels like her body is set on fire. a warmth spreads within her and it blossoms throughout her

"are you happy?" he asks, and she thinks back to the first night he asked her, when they were just wed and she was still unsure of her answer. the redhead nods and smiles brightly, her cheeks flushed (though if anyone were to ask she'd blame it on the wine).

"yes, I am very happy here, james." she smiles up at him as he leans down to press a kiss to her forehead. he whispers that name again, moon of my life, and the words resonate deeply within her.

 _"my sun and stars._ " she murmurs back, her hand sliding around his bicep to keep him close. she is not sure if he understands her, but james makes no move to pull away and she thinks that it is enough. after a moment, he pulls back and just stares down at her, his eyes blinking twice before his lips turn up into a thin smile.

"you surprise me, khaleesi. always surprise me." he presses another kiss to her forehead before resuming his place across from her. lily hides her disappointment at their separation, though resumes her own meal.

* * *

willow climbs up into the bed with lily, shaking her awake, to which lily is surprised at the loss of james in the middle of the night. they sleep apart, always, but she knows that he is there and the lack of comfort she feels at the moment surprises her even more than that he is missing. for a moment, she is so stunned at the surprise of missing him that she doesn't move until willow is tugging on her arm.

"hurry, james is hurt!" at those words, lily jumps in surprise, pulling on a dressing robe from her old life, made of silk and satin. she runs after willow through the tall grass. as they are located in an area of valleys and hills, she has a vantage point of some of the village homes, to which she can see Sirius riding james' stallion with his dutifully beside them. but james' lifeless body is settled against Sirius, slumped back with no movement other than the constant bouncing from the horse. it looks like they are flying through the village and she moves to make the bed, ready for james to lay on it and calling for a healer.

willow watches anxiously, constantly following only steps behind lily, half hidden behind her hair. it is only when the healer begins applying a salve to james' wounds that she is able to breathe and hold the little girl in her arms. "will james be okay?" the question is one that has worried lily since willow first warned her of his current status. she doesn't want to lie to the girl because she doesn't know the answer, so she holds her tighter and whispers the only thing she knows to be true. _"he has to be."_

* * *

james finally stirs hours later. lily is by his bedside; she has been nursing a glass of water and alternating between feeling his forehead and checking for his heartbeat. she is currently doing the latter when his eyes flutter open and all he can see are her bright green eyes locked on his. her hair falls in a curtain around his face, making it so that all he can focus on is her. she shifts backwards, seated on the edge of the bed so she can stay close to him. after what feels like an eternity, she speaks.

"i was so worried for you. my sun and stars. I was so, so worried." he has the decency to look ashamed, and she is unsure of why this makes her feel better. then, because she feels better because he is guilty, she feels ashamed. lily takes the opportunity to lay down beside him, her body pressed up against his right arm. they are closer in their bed than they have ever been before, but this does not bother her. "i couldn't lose you." she whispers, her hand still pressed against his chest. somewhere in the back of her mind, she registers that his heart is racing almost as fast as hers.

"i'm not going anywhere, moon of my life." his words sound like a promise as he lazily turns his head so he can press a kiss to the tip of her nose, and then drops one onto her lips. she does not notice that this is their first real kiss. the one at their wedding did not count, not in her opinion. that was a different man, and to be honest, a different lily. she has changed so much, and she believes it is all thanks to him.

"rest." she whispers, making the decision in that moment that she will not be leaving his side. he does exactly as she asks, closing his eyes and falling back asleep almost instantly.

* * *

james takes awhile to heal, and in that time frame, lily realizes they are closer than ever before. they wake up curled against one another. they eat each meal together, watch willow wrestle sirius to the ground, and take walks through the grass. his hand has taken to slipping into hers with ease, and she cannot place when it started, but she knows she doesn't want it to stop.

lily recognizes that this is not a natural occurrence. she should not be falling for her husband, one who has paid money for her to be here. one who made a trade deal to secure a spouse, but she cannot find it in herself to care. james is _good_. he is a good person; he is kind and caring, and if he gets a little brutish at times in the bedroom when he comes back from a particularly rough conquest, well, she can't say she _hates_ it.

what she does hate is the way the heat of the summer begins to cause her to be miserable. it makes her feel sick in the mornings and weak in the evenings. willow at one point says goodbye because she's afraid lily is dying, and that is the only time lily can pull herself out of bed and actually play with the girl. james begins to worry and asks a healer to come, but no medicine that lily takes is helpful.

it is remus who points it out to her. a baby. she and james are having a baby. the thought scares her and excites her all at once. this a man she barely knows. he paid for their marriage. he paid for _her_.

remus helps her rid of those thoughts fairly easily. he points out that yes he paid for their marriage, but isn't she happier here? hasn't she said on multiple occasions that she loves being here with james and willow and sirius and remus. she loves getting to ride her horse through the grass down to the lake just outside of the village. and she absolutely adores having a surrogate daughter who idolizes her, and is offered so much love in return. and doesn't she just love the access to any book she wants with the help of james' and remus' connections?

he leaves her a while later with those thoughts, and she cannot help but feel better, excited even, to tell james.

sat down to dinner, she eats her meal in record time, glancing up at him to see that he is just staring at her, a wolfish grin on his lips.

"moon of my life, if you wanted to go straight to bed, you could have just said so." he ruffles his hair and laughs louder, standing to be by her side in an instant.

lily cannot help the eye roll she has at his implication. "shush. i…" she does not know what to say, instead lifting her tunic to press his palm against the slight swell of her stomach. "i am having our child." she finally says, deciding she cannot hold it in any longer. james looks astonished for a moment, his eyes widening in that comical way that he has about him before he pulls her into a tight embrace.

"moon of my life. my world. the moon of my life is carrying my world." he mutters in dothraki, but they are at the point where she can finally understand. the redhead nods and presses a soft kiss to his lips.

"my sun and stars. both of you…" she murmurs into his mouth. her hands have slid into his hair so that she can keep him as close as possible, though he never seems to mind.

"i love you." he whispers, and although she has assumed so at this point, the words shock her unlike anything else.

"i love you. i will love you until the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. i will love you until seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves." she murmurs, her hands now moving to hold onto his where they cup her stomach. she grins up at him and he grins down at her.

"sirius is going to be excited, you know?" he whispers, causing her to laugh loudly.

"willow is going to be more excited." she teases, knowing that the two are as thick as thieves and will probably argue over who is more excited, despite the fact that one is a grown man and one is a teenage girl.

"i bet you sirius asks for naming rights." this quip makes her laugh harder than before, until he silences her with a kiss.

* * *

as lily's pregnancy progresses, she wonders what the baby will be like. she wonders who it will look like and whether it'll be a boy or a girl. she had never imagined her life leading her to this moment; pregnant with her husband, living in a new land, with an adoptive teen girl, and two best friends that protect her nearly as much as her husband.

she goes into labor in the middle of the night, agony and joy and sadness and excitement rush through her in waves throughout the entire process, until she is cradling a small, squirming baby against her chest and james is looking on with a wide grin. the redhead notes that he highly resembles james and just stares up at him. "he will rule someday. he will be the ruler of this land, and he will be great and mighty and he will be king. he will be the future khal." james sound wistful, his eyes filled with tears and lily thinks she has never been able to take part in such a beautiful moment. she smiles up at james and he just beams down at her in return.

"then we shall name him harry. khalakka harry of the great grass seas, future khal of the dothraki."


End file.
